Mailing-tube.



PATENTED DEC. 20, 1904.

F. W. BETTIS. MAILING TUBE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. e, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYJ.

Patented December 20, 1904.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIQE.

FRANK WILSON BETTIS, OF ALBION, NEXV YORK.

MAILING-TUBE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 777,771, dated December20, 1904.

Application filed February 6, 1904. Serial No. 192,296.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK WILSON BETTIS, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Albion, in the county of Orleans and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mailing-Tubes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, in which similarletters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The subject of this invention is an improved mailing-tube having for itsmore prominent object capacity whereby such tube may be readily andquickly opened throughout its entire length in order to facilitate theremoval of its contents.

Vith the above and other purposes in view the invention comprises a tubehaving peculiarly combined therewith a longitudinallydisposed rupturingwire or strand, the arrangement being such that said wire or strand iseffectively masked at the interior of the tube, whilea practicallycontinuous surface is presented within the latter, being so conditionedat the exterior of the tube that a portion of the wire, while normallyconcealed, is readily accessible to be grasped by the fingers and afiordthe requisite hold for exerting the pull required in the operation ofopening the tube.

There are other important features connected with theinvention, which,besides those alluded to, are clearly set forth in the subsequentdetailed description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure'1 is an exterior view of theimproved mailing-tube and illustrating thesamein the condition it appears prior to the application of themaskingstrip. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the same with themasking-strip applied. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the tube takenin the plane indicated by the broken line 3 3,

' Fig. 2. I

In the production of the improved mailingtube 1 take a paper-board tubeof the required length and composed of several thicknesses or shells, asA, A, and B. Formed in the interior surface of the tube is alongitudinal channel a, which communicates at eachend of the tube with alateral notch a for accommodating the lateral bends of a rupturing-wire.The shells embodying the tube are preferably pasted together to form astrong structure capable of sustaining considerable lateral pressurewithout liability of bending or collapsing the tube when in transit.

Within the channel a is located the rupturing wire or strand 6, whichwill preferably be of such thickness that it will lie flush with theinner surface of the tube. This wire or strand 7) is of such length thatterminal portions 6 thereof extend beyond the ends of the tube and areprovided with loops or eyes 5 to facilitate its engagement by a shortrod or other instrument in the hands of the person desirous ofopeningthe tube.

When the wire or strand?) is in the position indicated in Figs. 1 and 3,the terminal portions Z), together with their loops, can be folded backto lie externally, so as to retain the wire against longitudinalshifting and avoid the objectionable projection of said terminalportions, end extensions of the wire being prevented by means of thenotches a, which contain the lateral bends of the wire. These notchesare V-shaped, whereby they embody an efiectual starting-point forrupturing the tube, as will be hereinafter described.

For the purpose of snugly disposing the folded terminal portions of thewire the each end part of the outer shell is slotted or cut away topresent recesses B of such character and configuration that saidterminal portions when folded, as stated, will occupy positions withinsaid recesses, and thereby not only be flush with the outer surfacepresented by said shell, but will be retained against circumferentialshifting.

The liability of the wire to leave its channel or become engaged by thetube contents are both avoided by a longitudinally-extending guard-stripO, of thin paper, which is pasted to the inner surface of the tube A soas to cover both the channel and its contained wire, the thin characterof the paper contributing when such strip is in position to secure apractically continuous circular surface at the tube interior. The stripO is of such length that its end portions C will extend beyond the endsof the tube and can be folded over and 'pasted to effectively cover andconceal the presence of the folded terminals of the wire. The portions Cwhen turned and pasted as described may be provided on their exposedfaces with some mark or symbol 0 to indicate the presence beneath of thelooped terminals.

With the improved mailing-tube constituted as described it will bereadily comprehended that matter to be transmitted through the mails maybe introduced endwise, after the manner of an ordinary tube.

When it is desired to remove the contents, the same may be readilyaccomplished by first tearing away one portion C of the paper guard, andafter one of the loops 6 is grasped by one hand the second loop can beseized by the remaining hand and force exerted to cause the wire 5 totear through all the parts of the tube back of the channel a, and thusdivide the entire tube in a longitudinal direction, and thereby releaseand permit the convenient removal of the contents. This operation isfacilitated by the presence of the \/-shaped end notches a, which act asguides to start the rupture at their apex-points.

It will be observed by reference to Fig. 3 that the channel a is of suchdepth that the thickness of the adjacent part a is considerably reduced,thus enabling the wire to tear through the same without necessitatingany great effort.

The comparative cheapness of the improved mailing-tube admits of itsbeing thrown away after being opened and the contents removed.

I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the precisedetails and arrangement of parts shown and described, but reserve theright to all modifications within the scope of my invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A mailing-tube comprising an inner cylinder and outerclosely-embracing shell the latter having end recesses, and the cylindercontaining a longitudinal channel with V-shaped notches at each end, arupturing wire or strand in said channel and having folded terminalportions lying Within said notches and the shellrecesses, and a paperguard-strip on the inner surface of said cylinder covering said channeland wire, and having extended portions folded outwardly and pasted so asto cover the shellrecesses, the \I-shaped notches and contained terminalportions of the wire or strand.

2. A mailing-tube comprising an inner cylinder of paper-board and anouter closely-embracing shell of weaker material, said shell having endrecesses with enlargements of circular form and the cylinder containinga longitudinal channel extending through its whole length, andterminating in a \!shaped notch at each end, a rupturing wire or strandin said channel and having looped terminal portions folded to lie withinsaid \I-shaped notches and said recesses, and a paper guard-strip on theinner surface of said cylinder covering said channel and Wire and havingextended portions folded outwardly and pasted so as to cover the said\l-shaped notches, shell-recesses and looped terminal portions of thewire or strand.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of two witnesses, this 6th day of January,

FRANK WILSON BETTIS. Witnesses:

GEO. E. SWANSON, PERCY ANDERSON.

